Photos from Chalatenango

Colin was able to send a few photos home and I thought you might like to see them.

Baptism of Hermano PastorOn one of the volcanoes.
Baptism of Familia Herrera
Colin's first vision.

Along the stream outside town.

March 1, 2010

I am transferred from Chalate and now I am in Cuscatlan Vista Hermosa (beautiful view). It is in the middle of the city so we will see what happens. Also I am opening the area, and I am TRAINING!!! I am training a fresh new missionary from the MTC. I wonder if he will be a Latino or a gringo, probably a Latino but that doesn´t matter. I am so scared I still feel green, but we will see how it goes. I am sure it will be great. Pray for me, I feel like I have been tossed out of the frying pan and into the fire, but I am thinking of it as the refiners fire so this will definitely be a good experience and a time to show what I know.

It was sad to leave Chalate, almost all the people that we visited yesterday were crying. I am a little foggy eyed, but that is all. Just to do something to help the people and work with all you've got, and then to just leave it is pretty crazy, but it was great.

Oh, something not good that happened- I think I have eaten something bad and now my tummy is a little rumbly. It is pretty crazy. Actually it is a lot rumbly, but I will go get some tests done and we will see what is up. This has the potential to make me a lot skinnier (he he he, not just jokin').

February 17, 2010

Things are going well, thank your for all your prayers. I know they are helping to keep me happy, and everything.

OK- something funny happened last week. We were talking to this guy and teaching him, and it came time to drop the challenge, so we did. I asked him "so if Heavenly Father answers your prayer that these things are true, what do you think you need to do?" He answered, "Well, it would give me diarrhea." WHATT!!!!!! I thought I heard him wrong, but when we got outside, I asked elder Call (were were on divisions) and he was like that guy said that if he received an answer it would give him diarrhea! We busted up laughing so hard it was crazy, and really funny!

For my spiritual thing that happened to me this week: We were teaching a family of members and preparing them for references. If you want to read in alma 16:4-6 , it talks about how a bunch of Nephites were taken captive, so the general asked Alma to pray to know where the Lamanites were going so they could rescue their brethren. So Alma asked God, and got one of the most direct responses ever known. So the armies were able to go and rescue their brethren. So what we did was, we told the family that they were like Alma and we were the army, and asked if they could pray and ask Heavenly Father which of their friends or neighbors we could go visit and rescue and bring back to the gospel ( because they already know God's plan, we are just here to help them remember, but that is another subject for another day). So Sister Abarca prayed, and it was a very powerful prayer, so much so that one of my friends came into my mind. The thought and impression was so strong, so please invite him to hear the missionaries.

A message for Seth

I wrote to Colin about his good friend Seth, who will be leaving on his mission soon. This is his message for Seth:

"I have something for you to tell Seth about starting his mission. It is in Ether 6, verse, 4. It says, I am translating so sorry if it is not perfectly correct, 'and when they had prepared all types of food so that we could live upon the waters and all the food for their animals, behold when they had prepared all these things, they entered into their boats or barges, they set off to sea and commended themselves to the Lord their God'. Just from this scripture we need to be prepared. Prepare yourself, because 2 years is a long time, you need to prepare well. Nothing will be harder and nothing will bring you more happiness. The people of Jared were in their boats for almost a year, and if they had not been well prepared they would have never made it to the end. Just thinking of being in a barge for a year would have been super tough but when they finished their joy was sooo great. Just go out with a firm testimony, make sure you want to do this, missions are not for the week,. The devil will try to do wherever he can, but you have to be like the barges of the Jaredites, tight like unto a dish, so nothing can enter and make you forget why you are doing what you are doing, why you are happy, the knowledge of the plan. What God has given you almost no one knows. Only 14 million people know the plan that God has for them, there are billions of people that do not know this, we have a ton of work to do. Read the last 5 verses of Doctrine and Covenants 84, they always give me comfort and the strength to keep going. You will be an excellent missionary- you rock!!

This is the artist's rendition of the San Salvador Temple, due to be completed in late 2010. Colin does not think he will be able to participate in the dedication ceremonies as it is in the West Mission, but we can hope opportunities open up for him to visit.

Well yes, they were all baptised and confirmed this weekend! All 5 of them! The littlest one is 5 and she was so sad that she could not be baptized yet, hehe, she was so cute. There are a few people that go to the baptisms, not too many. Now I feel bad about whenever we had baptisms at home and I never went, even when you told me I should. I will always go now. Yes, we have a building in my city, and it has a font.

I love that scripture (Alma 17:10-11), it is so great. Look in the Preach My Gospel book and in chapter 6 are the Christ like attributes, and patience is one of them. It gives some great scriptures- one that I really like is in Alma 26:27. It talks about how when their hearts were heavy, to the point when they were about to turn back, the Lord visited them and said to "suffer afflictions with patience and I will give thee success". That is about how the scripture is, not exactly, but close enough.

So yes, Spanish is coming along, I feel like I am getting better, and I know I have a lot to learn, but it is coming along.

Thank you for everything, EVERYTHING!!!! Especially for praying and fasting for this family. Thank you so much.

January 18, 2010

Do you think you could send me a boy scout handbook in Spanish? It is official, my companion is now the Branch Pres. and I am first councilor. Now we really need to start taking care of the youth, so we need to have mutual, and more then just playing soccer which is good, but could be better, as you know.

The wedding was great. The children I think were the happiest of all, and hopefully they will be baptised this weekend. Thank you so much for your prayers on their behalf.

No, I am not getting transferred and neither is my companion, so this will be another interesting chance together. I told you already he is 30, right?

So things are going well. I was reading the scriptures, as one often does while on their mission, and I happened to stumble across a beautiful passage in Doctrine and Covenants, 127 verse 2. It is very good, and helps me a lot in my times of trial, it is truly beautiful. It just helps us to remember that this is what we have been called to do, and yes, it might be tough or it might be easy, it might be for better or for the worse, but our Heavenly Father will save us for all that we do for him, we just have to go all out.

Tell Seth congrats for me, that is so awesome!

Answers to Dad's questions

We are getting ready for stake conference too, it is pretty intense since there is a lot of planning that we have to do and at the same time have to contact all the people which will be coming. So it should be a good, but a very busy, week.

About working with the youth, I help the Young Men's president out. He has only been in the church a year and a half and is basically waiting for his mission call. I was talking to him and asked him if there was any thing I could do to help him out in his calling and he said that having a good councilor that helps with stuff would be nice, there is no body in the ward that can do it because nobody can read. So I am now the unofficial helper. No, they don´t really have scouting, but I am giving a lot of encouragement for the Duty to God award, so we are starting to do that stuff.

Things are going well. The family we are teaching is getting married on Friday, so that is great, and they went to church yesterday, and all enjoyed it. We are going to go visit them tonight and have family home evening.

I am so happy that I have this opportunity to serve the Lord.